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Global Warming 

see also combating global warming,   Clean-tech and environmentally conscious investing  and carbon trading

While the science is uncertain, one thing is for sure...consumers are politicians all around the globe are citing this as on of the global concerns.   People are worried that raising temperatures may cause more powerful storms, rising sea levels, and massive crop failures. Companies will be affected by both changes in legislation as well as the expected environmental results of continued climate change.

Global warming and greenhouse gases

websites to track greenhouse gases

Company strategy (getting ready for new regulations & opportunities)

Large companies worldwide are discovering that the challenges imposed by climate change also hidden opportunities.  "Sustainability is the head of policy makers and will dictate how our business will be structured here to the front," says Adilson Primo, president of the Brazilian operation of Siemens, which has invested not only to improve the energy efficiency of its thermoelectric the gas, as bet in the development of technologies to capture and store carbon.  "And the benefits will come to know who enter the game."

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Who Benefits from concerns about Global Warming

• Companies like Suzlon, Suntech Power Holdings, MEMC Electronics, Plum Creek Timber, Vestas, SunPower, Sharp, Kyocera, Tyson Foods, and Bunge stand to benefit from the current mainstream belief that stopping global climate change requires stopping global temperatures from rising; most governments are intent on achieving this by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Energy forms like nuclear energy, biofuels, ethanol, and natural gas release fewer amounts of carbon dioxide than coal and oil. Solar power and wind energy are the cleanest forms of energy, and do not release any greenhouse gases. Most governments are pushing a transition to these forms of energy, and the increased demand for alternative energy sources could greatly benefit the above companies and industries.

Who Hurts

• Insurers like Allstate and reinsurers such as Renaissance Reinsurance, Ace limited, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK) and XL Capital, are highly vulnerable to the damages caused by more powerful natural disasters, as they would bear the brunt of the reconstruction costs.
• Companies like Chevron, Exxon Mobil, British Petroleum, Peabody, and Arch Coal could be greatly damaged by a restructuring of the energy market. Energy paradigm shifts mean a major shift away from the established forms of energy that are currently releasing greenhouse gases. Oil and coal would suffer the greatest damages, as shifts away from coal powered electricity production and gas powered vehicles would lead to decreased demand, prices, and profits.

see the wikipedia article on global warming

Effects on emerging markets

Latin America has as much reason, or more, to be worried about climate change. The poor are more likely to be affected by weather effects and increased food prices that scientists say are liable to result from an increase in global temperatures.

Understandably, poorer nations are reluctant to invest in expensive alternative energy technologies, but Moreno said alternative energy could actually help the region fight poverty.

One well-known example is Brazil's investment in ethanol production, which has been an economic boon. Brazil's example sends somewhat of a mixed message, though, as ethanol production has raised the price of food, making life very hard for many poor people. Next-generation biofuels may find ways of avoiding what Moreno calls the "food-fuel-wilderness" tradeoff.

Latin America has been investing in other areas of alternative energy as well. Brazil has seen a nine-fold increase in wind power production, while Mexico has recently geared-up capacity to some 500 MW, (though still a paltry amount compared to tens of thousands of total electric capacity in the country).

Hydroelectric power, generated from the energy of river flow, has already been a significant player in Latin America. The construction of dams in such areas as Costa Rica and elsewhere has brought electricity to many rural communities, as well as reduced dependence on energy imports.

Due to the high cost of building dams and turbines, the IDB has been looking at "micro-hydro," smaller dams with shorter construction times, less capital investment, and, hopefully, mitigated environmental effect.

Programs such as micro-hydro, supported by international development money, can strike a formula for fossil-fuel reduction on rural development that is a winning equation for Latin American governments.

Links

• Industry Analysis
• underlying trends that are shaping our world today.
• The next bubble to burst may be commodities in 2008
• Changes are happening in China
• Possible recession in 2008
• rising inflation worries 2008
• High Oil Prices
• Global Warming
• Sovereign Wealth Funds
• Weak US dollar
• Tech trends to watch
• Private equity takes many companies private
• credit crisis of 2007
• Asian countries fight to keep their currencies undervalued vs the dollar
• Globalization
• Rising importance of China
• Latin America becomes dependent on commodity exports to Asia
• opportunities with consumers of low income
• rise of state capitalism in Russia and China